GINA spends $250M to fund newspaper in NY

- McCoy, Subhan fingered in questionable deal with printery

Government Information Agency (GINA) launched a New York edition newspaper late last year under questionable circumstances. This has the Opposition APNU-AFC calling for a full investigation into the publication. According to Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, his party has discovered another clear indication of how the ruling party continues to misuse public funds without oversight of the National Assembly.

Kwame McCoy54

The situation, he complained, is also creating an uneven playing field for the Opposition as the Government has access to millions of dollars in state resources which are being used indiscriminately for the upcoming May 11 Elections. “We are condemning this newspaper “The Guyanese” which is being printed in New York. We are being told that GINA used, without Parliament’s approval, $250M to establish this publication. They are not carrying news. The paper is carrying propaganda from the ruling party. “How fair is it that we are asking ordinary taxpayers to foot a newspaper that does not even represent them or paint the true picture of what goes on in Guyana?” Ramjattan said that his party, during recent trips by officials to New York, has been attempting to find out the details. “We have now gotten information that it is a printery out of New York.” The official, whose party recently announced that it will be partnering with A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) for the May 11 Elections, is convinced that there is massive corruption involved also in the printing. “We are being told that GINA is spending US$10,000 per fortnight to print 5,000 copies of a 32-page newspaper which is then given away free of cost. This is way too expensive when you compare what the other printers are charging. The publication, given its size and colour, could cost far less than US$2,000. So where is the rest of the money? Who is pocketing the rest?” According to Ramjattan, the person who has been supplying his party with the details is scared to come forward. “My understanding is that it is GINA’s Editor Shanta Goberdhan, Neaz Subhan the head, and Kwame McCoy from the Office of the President, who are disbursing the payments from Guyana.”

GINA’s Head, Neaz Subhan

“I want to tell you that as soon as we win the Elections on May 11, this will be one of the first things we will investigate. You just cannot spend taxpayers’ monies to fund a newspaper and it (is) only carrying Government propaganda,” Ramjattan said. He believed that the $250M pumped into the newspaper launching was also a way to channel monies from public funds to elections coffers of the People’s Progressive Party. “They are probably gonna send it back to Guyana as part of the arrangement for the elections funding for the PPP.” Ramjattan believes also that the Government deliberately timed the launching of the newspaper in October because Parliament was in recess and elections were imminent with its dissolution. “We are convinced that this is a massive piece of corruption. The long arm of the law will be very evident after elections. We are also not unaware of the auditor’s report of the National Communications Network, which is owned by Government and which pointed to significant fraud. “President Donald Ramotar has refused to release the details. This newspaper deal stinks to high heavens.” GINA’s head, Subhan, on Saturday, refused to release details of the newspaper. He would only say that the money is coming from GINA’s budget.

The fortnightly 32-pages newspaper which was launched under questionable circumstances last October.

He did not want to discuss details of the printing but did confirm that the newspaper was started back in October and about 5,000 copies are being printed every fortnight. The newspaper is prepared in Guyana, using materials from GINA with a point person collecting and distributing it in New York.

Conscience, you must read the news, not limit yourself to PPP-Chronicle propaganda.

APNU-AFC will have a media launch of its elections campaign on Wednesday, March 4.

APNU-AFC will have a public launch of its elections campaign at a later date, to be announced.

APNU-AFC will not follow the PPP way of launching anything.

I think you morons are swallowing your own Cool Aid. Of course the two parties merged on account they have an onerous constitutional prohibition to merging after the election and they are intent on removing the corrupt oligarchic regime in office.

Who are these politically independent Guyanese the PPP shills purport to speak for? Is it another invention like your "critics"? Fool, this article was crafted in the basement of Freedom house and on leeching finance from the state in a flagrant misuse of state assets to peddle their campaign bilge.

You have the Chinese communist backing, All of those supposed contractors feeding on the nation trough not to mention the friends and family cartel yet on top of that you are still misusing state funds to campaign. That is what will be stopped on May 11.

David is bigger and stronger so he will lead. Ramjattan just needs to ensure that he influences how David leads.

thank god donald is not here back balling 

Stormy at this point you need to back away from "who is right and who is wrong, and who is baaad".  Focus on who will win, and how they will win.

The PPP, as the incumbent party, and one which has access to the public purse, and funding from cronies and maybe the Chinese, and who dominates the media, starts with an advantage.  It has an additional advantage that its base tribal VOTE is larger than that of APNU. 

For any one to opine with certainty as to who the core supporter of the AFC is will have to furnish proof of their assertions.

So an APNU AFC victory will be based on aggressive and shrewd campaigning.  One which inspires the African/mixed vote.  Makes the Indian vote less paranoid about it.  And induces the Amerindian vote (other than those controlled by the tochaos) to actually show up.

In 2001 403k people voted.  In 2011 a mere 342k voted, and this being better than 2006 when 337k voted.   Getting some of these people who decided to cease voting, or to not register to vote (among the youth) to actualy vote will be a tactic that will hurt the PPP.

Two factors led to the PPP losing its majority.

1. APNU winning an additional 23k votes in 2011, based on greater success in getting its base to vote, as there is no evidence that in made inroads elsewhere.

2.  AFC taking 10k votes from the PPP leaving it 5k short of the votes which it needed for majority control.

Both parties will need to strategize in getting more of these votes.

So less of the "PPP baaad".  Every one knows that they are.   Those who refuse to deal with that fact aren't people who you will convince, so repeating that mantra is a waste of time. 

In Region 10 in 2001 there were registered 22k voters, and in 2011 a mere 15,600 voted.  Even though many left that area in the interim, others, would have come of age, so the potential pool of voters will probably much the same.  If 80% of these non voters can be induced to vote APNU AFC picks up 5k votes right there, assuming that the PPP wins back 50% of the Nagamootoo votes that it lost last time.

So this is the kind of thinking that is needed.  Not shrill screams about "PPP baaad", and that will end on May 11", because if the PPP gets out their voters better than does the opposition, then the PPP will be even WORSE than they currently are.

I don't think that David wants to feel Donald's soft derriere.